DJI have announced the new Cendence remote for their Inspire 2 and Matrice drones. It’s aimed squarely at the professional end of the market and isn’t compatible with the company’s lower-end UAVs.
Cendence remote display and output
The Cendence features 16 user customisable buttons and dials and a built-in 1000nit screen that should be useable outdoors. It’s also capable of showing telemetry information. For a main display you can connect either a DJI CrystalSky monitor or attach an iOS device.
Arguably the most interesting feature though is the addition of HDMI and SDI outputs right on the controller itself. This opens up a host of possibilities, from hooking into a recorder all the way up to patching into live TV broadcasts direct from the drone.
Long distance flying
Continuing the high end theme is the DJI Tracktenna. This looks ever so slightly like a mushroom, and attaches to the controller to increase both the range of the signal and the bandwidth available to the drone. DJI claim an improved operating range of up to 10km (6.2 miles), and if you stay within 1km the uplink should offer a data rate of 10Mb up and down. The Tracktenna operates in dual band 2.4 and 5.8Ghz frequency ranges.
Impressive stuff, although I’d maybe question the wisdom (not to mention the legality) of flying a UAV at such extreme distances!
Pricing and availability
The Cendence remote will be around $999 US when it’s released later this year – and there’s no further information yet on the Tracktenna.
